“Atomic Integration,” A Photography Exhibit on African-American Life during the Manhattan Project Opens February 23

African-Americans at post office, 1940s
Citizens conducting business at a post office, 1940s

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News Release Date: February 8, 2017

Contact: Frank Graham, 423-569-9778

Contact: Christopher Derman

In honor of Black History Month the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce will be hosting “Atomic Integration,” a photography exhibition focusing on African-American life during the Manhattan Project in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The month-long exhibit will open on Thursday, February 23 with a reception starting at 4:30 pm (ET). The photo exhibit is sponsored by the National Park Service, Department of Energy, Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce, and Explore Oak Ridge.   

The images displayed in the photo exhibit illustrate the experiences and contributions of African-Americans during the Manhattan Project period during the 1940s in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Often overlooked in our remembrance of one of the world’s largest scientific undertaking that produced the atomic bomb are the works of a people who, in spite of discrimination, met the challenge and changed the course of history. 

The photographs were taken by James Edward Westcott, a renowned photographer who worked for the United States government in Oak Ridge during the Manhattan Project and the Cold War. Westcott was one of the few people permitted to have a camera in the Oak Ridge area during the Manhattan Project.

The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce is located at 1400 Oak Ridge Turnpike, Oak Ridge, TN. For more information please call Manhattan Project National Historical Park at 865-567-6767.



Last updated: February 9, 2017

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Mailing Address:

National Park Service, Manhattan Project National Historical Park
c/o NPS Intermountain Regional Office
One Denver Federal Center, Building 50

Denver, CO 80225-0287

Phone:

Hanford: 509.376.1647
Los Alamos: 505.661.6277
Oak Ridge: 865.482.1942

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